Currently, the turn signal on a vehicle remains active until either the vehicle has made a turn or is disabled by the user. In many cases, such as when making a lane change on the highway, not enough of turn was made to cause the switch inside the vehicle to automatically turn-off the turn-signal; and if only to complicate matters, the user driving the vehicle oftentimes forgets to turn off the turn signal after changing lanes. The result is a turn signal left on when there is no intention on the drivers part to turn or to indicate another lane change is pending. Besides being embarrassing for the driver of the vehicle with the signal active, the active turn signal is potentially troublesome for other drivers as they then must decide for themselves if the car with an active turn signal is actually going to turn or to change lanes.
At some point in the mid 90's, a significant portion of the manufacturers of American made vehicles started installing anti-lock break systems (ABS) in all of their current and future stock of vehicles. In addition to providing braking without the risk of locking up the brakes, ABS systems on vehicles also already determine the distance traveled for updating the odometer, and send wheel speed information to the engine control unit.
In addition, with the majority of automotive control systems moving from mechanical to electrical systems, it is possible to add further intelligence to the electrical turn-signal control system without unduly burdening the cost of the system.